teaching, agricultural, trade, Agricultural and Food Policy, International Relations/Trade, Teaching/Communication/Extension/Profession,

Meilke, Karl D.

English

Research Papers in Economics

 
 
 
 
RESULTS OF A SURVEY OF 
GRADUATE COURSES IN 
AGRICULTURAL TRADE 
 
CATPRN Working Paper 2009-05  
May 2009 
 
 
 
Karl Meilke 
Professor 
Department of Food, Agricultural and Resource Economics 
University of Guelph 
 
 
http://www.catrade.org 
Funding for this project was provided by the Canadian Agricultural Trade Policy Research Network 
(CATPRN).  The CATPRN is funded by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada but the views expressed in this 
paper are those of the author and should not be attributed to the funding agency.  The author would like 
to thank Hina Nazli for help in conducting the survey. 
 1 
 
Introduction 
  In the fall of 2008 I surveyed the web sites of 73 universities (offering degrees in 
agricultural economics according to the American Applied Economics Association) in 
North America (Canada and the United States) looking for graduate courses that dealt 
with agricultural policy, agricultural trade and/or welfare economics.  This survey 
identified 48 universities that offer these courses. Of the universities not included in the 
sample three do not offer graduate degrees; 13 do not offer the type of course I was 
looking for; online information was not available for seven (amazing in this day and 
age); and the web site was not accessible for two universities.  Of the 48 universities 
included in the sample, 19 offer one course in agricultural policy, agricultural trade or in 
welfare economics; 16 universities offer two such courses; eight universities offer three; 
and five universities offer four such courses.  
  The 48 universities offer 95 courses in the areas of interest.  I was able to obtain 
course outlines for 85 of these courses primarily through correspondence with the 
course instructors.  It is again amazing that most of the course outlines are not readily 
available online.  The outlines were then sorted into four broad groups: 1) courses 
dealing with generic welfare analysis; 2) courses with “trade” someplace in the title; 3) 
courses dealing with agricultural and food policy; and 4) courses dealing with issues in 
resource economics (cost-benefit analysis, etc.).  This report is focused on the 28 
course outlines that have “trade” in the title.  These courses are offered by 24 
universities with only four universities offering more than one course in the trade area.  
In several cases the graduate course is taught along with a similar offering at the 
undergraduate level (dual numbered).    
  The 28 “trade” outlines were then sorted into four groups but the dividing lines 
between these four groups are somewhat arbitrary.  Four courses appeared to be 
essentially trade theory courses.  Eighteen of the courses include material on trade 
theory but were clearly focused on issues that are important in agricultural trade. Four 
courses were heavy on trade theory but also included some trade policy issues (not 
always agriculturally based).  Finally, two courses appeared to include no trade theory 
but were focused on “policy” and relied on a number of issues outside of agriculture to 
provide examples of policy. 
Text Books 
  In many cases the trade courses did not have a required text book but many had 
one or more recommended text books.  The required and recommended text books 
were an eclectic mix, 17 different texts in total.  Only five text books were mentioned 
more than once and only two more than twice.  The five text books with two or more 
mentions are: 2 
 
Feenstra, R. C. 2004. Advanced International Trade. Princeton: Princeton University 
Press. (3 courses) 
Houck, J. P. 1986. Elements of Agricultural Trade Policies. New York: Macmillan 
Publishers. (2 courses) 
Koo, W. W. and P. Lynn Kennedy. 2005. International Trade and Agriculture.  Oxford: 
Blackwell Publishing. (7 courses) 
Salvatore, D. 2001. International Economics. New York: John Wiley and Sons. (2 
courses) 
Tweeten, L. 1992. Agricultural Trade: Principles and Policies. Boulder: Westview Press. 
(2 courses) 
 
Outline 
  I have provided an outline for “trade” courses that includes most of the topics 
covered in the 28 courses surveyed.  The exact topics included in any single course 
depends on its focus, the length of the term and the instructors preferences.  However, 
no course could hope to cover all of the topics mentioned below.  Courses with a trade 
theory emphasis include most of the topics in section1 and some from sections 3, 5, 8 
and 9.  The more typical agricultural trade course included topics 1a, 1b, 3a, 3b, 3c, 3d, 
and some portion of the topics in sections 5, 6 and 7.  Many of these courses also 
included topics 9 and 11.  Something more than 50 percent of these courses would also 
include some of the trade modeling topics in section 4.  After that it was a bit of a dog’ 
breakfast of topics that individual instructors included in their courses. 
Universities and Courses Included in the Sample 
  Courses surveyed: University of Alberta (585);University of Arkansas (5021); 
University of Arizona (452&552); University of British Columbia (490); California 
Polytechnic State University (563); University of California, Berkeley (201); University of 
Georgia (6960); University of Guelph (6980); University of Idaho (533); University of 
Illinois (455, 556); Kansas State University (840); University of Kentucky (510, 610); 
University of Minnesota (5751, 8702); Mississippi State University (8532); University of 
Nebraska (901d); New Mexico State University (520); North Dakota State University 
(472&672); North Carolina A&T (632); North Carolina State University (748); Oklahoma 
State University (4343&5343, 5733); Purdue University (644); University of 
Saskatchewan (855); University of Wyoming (4880); 
 3 
 
1. Trade  Theory 
a. Comparative  advantage 
b. Heckscher-Ohlin 
c.  Specific factors model 
d. Imperfect  competition 
i. duopoly 
ii. monopoly 
iii. vertical  differentiation 
e.  Economies of Scale 
f. Empirical  evidence 
g.  Trade and labor markets 
h.  Distance and trade costs 
i.  Income distribution effects 
j. Immiserizing  growth 
k.  Balance of payments 
2. Trade  Institutions 
a. WTO 
b. Multilateral  and  preferential trade negotiations 
3.  Gains from Trade and Economic Welfare 
a. Welfare  measures 
b. Comparative  advantage 
c.  Import demand and excess supply 
d.  Large and small country assumptions 
e.  Trade under uncertainty 
f.  Theory of second best 
4. Trade  Models 
a. Partial  equilibrium 
b. Spatial  equilibrium 
c.  Equilibrium displacement models 
d. Armington  model 
e. Gravity  equation 
f.  Policy evaluation matrix 
g. CGE  models 
5.  Importer Trade Policies 
a. Tariffs 
i. optimal  tariffs 
ii.  maximum revenue tariff 
iii. effective  protection 
 
 4 
 
b. Quotas 
i. tariff  rate  quotas 
c.  Technical barriers to trade 
i. food  labeling 
d.  Import and consumption subsidies 
e.  Proportional import quotas 
f. Variable  levies 
6.  Exporter Trade Policies 
a. Export  subsidies 
i.  international cartels and commodity agreements 
ii.  state trading enterprises 
iii. embargos 
7.  Trade Effects of Domestic Policies 
a. Price  discrimination 
b.  Market price supports 
c. Deficiency  payments 
d.  Voluntary export restraints 
e. Input  subsidies 
f. Decoupling 
g.  Production controls and supply management 
h. Stabilization  programs 
i. Buffer  stocks 
8.  Political Economy of Trade Policy 
a. Rent  seeking 
9. Exchange  Rates 
10. Law of One Price 
11. Regional Trade Agreements 
a.  Free Trade Agreements 
b. Customs  Union 
12. Measures of Protection 
a.  Effective rate of protection 
b.  Aggregate measure of support 
13. Contingent Protection 
14. Competitive Advantage 
15. Multinationals and Foreign Direct Investment 
a.  Firm level heterogeneity 
b. International  sourcing 
16. Trade and the Environment 
17. Trade Related Aspects of Intellectual Property 
18. Trade Development and Growth 5 
 
19. Biotechnology 
20. Food Assistance Programs 
21. Global warming 
22. Agricultural Productivity and R&D 

Results of a Survey of Graduate Courses in Agricultural Trade

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